Once Bitten Twice Shy: A Harry Potter FanFiction (Remus J. Lupin) ~And so the shack began to shriek~

Remus sat but couldn’t meet the Headmaster’s eyes as he admitted what he perceived to be his greatest sin, “I can’t control it.”

“My dear boy, it happened to you, and therefore was out of your control. However, there are still aspects we can control.”

Remus finally lifted his head, but the hope in his eyes was tempered with doubt, “What parts can I control,” he asked.

Dumbledore steepled his fingers as he leaned in, “Ah, a very astute question, which I am afraid I must answer with another question. What parts are there?” He waited unsure what the boy would say, afraid of the prejudice and hate that might pour forth.

Remus looked down thoughtfully for a moment before answering the Headmaster. “Well…it lasts for all three days of the full moon when darkness falls, I cannot be around anyone when it happens, the wounds never fully heal, it is always inside me trying to get out, it will never go away and I will always be different because of it.” When he stopped reciting the litany of offences his father reminded him of during each full moon he was out of breath and trembling with anger, “and it hurts.”

Albus had closed his eyes at the fourth statement, but with the final one they shot open. “Remus, do you know why you are here?”

“Because I am dangerous.”

“No, no at Hogwarts.”

“Oh…no not really.”

“It is because you are a gifted young wizard, and though you suffer from lycanthropy you deserve the same education as any other 11year old witch or wizard. You may have an illness, but it does not have to define you.” With his last few words the Headmaster’s eyes took on a faraway look. Then as if a silent alarm had sounded he was back. “Location, location can be controlled.”

*******

It sounded so simple. Just stay put. How hard could that be the calm cool intellectual side of his brain said, but the much louder emotional side screamed counting off the impossibilities. Control didn’t exist when the full moon rose, thought focused to a fine point centered on flesh and blood, and movement was unavoidable.

Remus looked at the boarded up window and trembled with a teeth chattering shiver of terror. The flimsy 2×4’s seemed pitiful, not even dense enough to keep out the last ruddy rays of sunset. How can they possible keep me in he thought as he laid his hand gingerly against them. Moving from room to room Remus saw nothing to bolster his confidence. Apparently in his great wisdom the Headmaster had decided to lock a werewolf into a broken down old shack just off school grounds.

Remus screwed up his face in an attempt not to cry as fear rolled off him in near tangible waves.

“What if I hurt someone,” Remus asked of the silent house half hoping that the Headmaster was lurking just out of sight. To his dismay no one answered. He sunk to the floor wishing that he could erase the memory of his fathers final words at platform 9¾. “They think that you can go to Hogwarts huh? That Dumbledore must be as crazy as he is brilliant. I tell you what Remus, go. Get as much out of it as you can, because the second they come to their senses, the first time that full moon rolls, around they are going to wash they’re hands of you.” But even more Remus wished that his father had lied to him.

*******

A pair of glittering green eyes observed the child in his prone position heaped in the corner of the well worn room. The owner of the eyes had only a split second to make the same assessment as Remus before it began. The child’s unseeing eyes grew into solid black orbs which rolled in their sockets. His breathing quickened and hitched as the painful distortion of human bone to canine occurred. The boy’s skin rippled and boiled as fur erupted in continuous tufts, and all the while he shrieked and howled in pain. The green eyes blinked just once before Remus threw himself at the boarded up window. However, no crashing sounds of splintering wood filled the night.

At the first light of dawn only the broken boy was left in the wake of the wolf’s damage. He lay covered with bite marks and openly weeping wounds. With a slight wooshing sound the ever watchful green eyes appeared once more behind Professor McGonagall’s trademark square wire rimmed spectacles aghast at the revelations the night had brought.

*******

I hope there are a few of my readers still interested in what I post. Though after a nearly month long hiatus I fully understand if I have lost your attention. The first parts of this story can be found here if you are so inclined.

I lost my ‘voice’. It isn’t an excuse but it is the truth. I sat down to write and couldn’t. This freaked me out and scared me away a childish approach to trouble shooting i suposse. Let me just say it sucked to say the least. While this post might not be gold hopefully it will be just the first of many more to come.

Thank you so much! I love hearing that because I really struggled with how Dumbledore would sound, JKR leaves a good sized footprint to attempt to walk in 😐
The break was good in some ways, but I’m happy to be back to the reading and writing. Let’s just hope it holds out a full 365 this year 🙂